Category Archives: BlogTalkRadio

Here you go folks, these are my picks for the Podcast Awards. Feel free to take or leave my suggestions. In the end, it’s my ballot and opinion. And we all know what they say about opinions…

People’s Choice – ESPN Fantasy Focus: FootballReason: Because I worked on it for a majority of the year. In all seriousness, it’s very self-serving of me to nominate my show for the top podcast award and I would be humbly honored if you nominated it as well. The Worst Farewell Tour in History could have a perfect ending with a podcast award. Remember, this is it for this podcast as it will never exist again with Matthew, Nate, Stephania and myself. Secret Squirrel gets a pat on the back for his 2.5 months of service. I think we all know Serial will win this category anyways…

Best Produced – RadioLabReason: They should rename this category the RadioLab Award. There isn’t a single show that is better produced. I still spend too much of my time trying to figure out how they put all the sounds together to make such a compelling story. If you know of a better production, please let me know.

Business – The Livelihood ShowReason: Marcy Rosenbaum has a way of making the discussions feel so personable. It’s warm and inviting – the exact opposite of what I feel business really is. That’s what makes this podcast so good.

Comedy – Doug Loves MoviesReason: So many candidates in this category and I listen to all of them. But when I’m down and I really need a laugh, it’s Doug Loves Movies that I always find myself turning to. Realize I’m also trying to nominate all my favorite shows so picking the right category to get them all nominated in is difficult.

Cultural/Arts – The Yarn ThingReason: I just found this podcast as I was scanning through shows for my new job at BlogTalkRadio and you’ll be pleasantly surprised that this show is more than just yarn. The production quality is sound and Marly really knows how to spin a yarn (yeah, I went there with that pun. Couldn’t resist!)

Education – Grammar GirlReason: Another category that should just be renamed. Thought about one of the many different history podcasts here too, but in the end, Grammar Girl is all about the education. Some of those history podcasts are more about the entertainment. Not saying Grammar Girl isn’t entertaining…oh boy, I dug myself in a hole. Probably had some real bad syntax errors in here as well. Moving on…

Entertainment – Rob Has A PodcastReason: I like the reality TV shows. Rob podcasts about reality tv shows. He does a fantastic job and I couldn’t be more proud of the success he’s enjoyed recently. Despite what others might tell you, this show is definitely worth more than zero earbuds. It’s worth the whole dang iPod (or iPhone – whichever you prefer).

Food and Drink - Let’s Drink About ItReason: Another show I came across due to my new job responsibilities at BlogTalkRadio, but this one isn’t on our platform. It’s fantastic! The creative idea of linking an adult beverage to a meaningful point in life is simply brilliant. Try this one out. You won’t be sorry.

Gaming – Joystiq PodcastsReason: Another category with a high level of competition. Joystiq shows are entertaining and informative. That’s a good combination for any podcast.

Health and Fitness – 1, 2, Many: Veteran SuicideReason: Tim Lawson has put together a very important show on a difficult topic that can’t stay hidden in the shadows. Very honored that he brought this show to BlogTalkRadio and I applaud him on his efforts.

Mature – WTF with Marc MaronReason: Ok, I think the category is meant to be directed at other content than what I have nominated here. But think about it. Marc uses harsh language – it’s in the title of his show. He has grown-up, adult conversations with grown up adults. And the show has been around for a few years. It’s a mature talk show. (Plus, I already nominated other shows in People’s Choice, Comedy and General.)

Movies/Films – I Watch MikeReason: Mike is an entertaining guy who watches more than just movies. He watches tv shows and is all about the latest pop culture. But he does watch movies and that qualifies him for this category.

Podsafe Music – CovervilleReason: Brian Ibbott consistently puts together the best podcast about cover songs ever. There isn’t a better music podcast out there and considering how difficult it is to feature music in downloadable content, makes this award one of the toughest to get. Period. This is another category that should be renamed for a show.

Politics/News – No AgendaReason: It’s the best podcast in the universe, hosted by the Podfather himself, Adam Curry and the great, John C. Dvorak. You can learn a lot about podcasting from listening to this show. I know I have.

Religion Inspiration – The Thinking AtheistReason: A super well done show that gets right to the heart of the matter. I understand atheism isn’t really a religion and I suppose you could say it’s anti-religion, but atheism shows have been nominated in this category before and I’m nominating Seth’s program here.

Sports – ESPN Fantasy Focus: FootballReason: If you disagree with me about being the best podcast overall in the People’s Choice category, it’s tough to say this isn’t the best sports podcast in the world. Plus, this show has won 6 awards. Getting a 7th award would be great but getting an 8th would be for Nate. #TheWorstFarewellTourEver

Technology – TWiTReason: Leo Laporte is a future hall of famer, if he isn’t inducted this year. Another category that should be renamed for the show.

Travel – WDW RadioReason: We should really consider re-naming these categories for shows that deserve the recognition. This show dominates the category. Period.

So those are my nominations. I’m sure you’ll disagree with some of my nods and that’s ok. As I said at the beginning of this process, we all have opinions. These are the shows that I feel most deserve recognition for 2014.

[New York, Monday November 17, 2014] BlogTalkRadio is on a new mission to help podcasters create engaging content and make money for their hard work. Jay Soderberg, a former leader of ESPN’s podcasting division, has joined the BlogTalkRadio management team and will take a leading role shaping the company’s content portfolio as its new Head of Content. Soderberg will be focused on cultivating and expanding BlogTalkRadio’s already large community of podcasters who collectively produce tens of thousands of hours of topical content each month.

“Podcasts are quickly becoming the audio content format of the future. I’m very excited about the opportunity to help shepherd this outstanding host community toward the exciting vision for podcasting that we are shaping at BlogTalkRadio” said Soderberg.

Jay, also known as Pod Vader, has 23 years of experience in the highest echelons of radio and podcast production. He launched and ran ESPN’s podcasting efforts for 8 years. His radio journey began at NPR and Christian Science Monitor Radio where he developed his expertise with the best-in-class processes for the editing and production of top-quality audio content. Applying these skills, he later became the mastermind behind many of ESPN’s most successful podcasts, including Fantasy Focus and Football Today. His six awards include podcasting’s highest honor, The People’s Choice Podcast Award, which he earned in 2009 and 2012.

“In our quest to find our Head of Content, we sought to find a leader with hands on knowledge of the craft, who intimately understands and identifies with the aspirations of podcasters, and sincerely cares about the success and wellbeing of this great community. I believe we’ve found the perfect fit with Pod Vader” said Andy Toh, GM and Chief Architect of BlogTalkRadio.

Bob Charish, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder Bob Charish added. “BlogTalkRadio was among the first platforms created for podcasters, and we a very excited to now be taking the company to the next level. We are extremely happy to welcome Jay and his long track record of successful podcasts to his name. I know that with Jay’s help our community will thrive.”

About BlogTalkRadioBlogTalkRadio helps podcasters create, distribute and profit from their content. Founded in 2006, the BlogTalkRadio platform is a unified platform that enables the recording, live streaming, syndication, measurement and monetization of conversational format podcasts featuring guests and listeners from any geographic location, with nothing more than a laptop, a microphone and a broadband internet connection.

FilmGordon Radio talks to Jenny Slate, star of the controversial new comedy Obvious Child. Slate has also appeared in Parks and Recreation and Bob‘s Burgers, as well as director Gillian Robespierre.

Of the movie, which focuses on abortion, they say that they “wanted to show a really funny, relatable leading lady on the big screen… we wanted somebody in a romantic comedy to be actually funny, empathetic, honest, to look and feel like yourself… it’s seeking authenticity in a character.”

David Worth, director of such movies as Kickboxer and Bloodsport, talks with Betty Jo Tucker about his new books Milestones in Cinema: 50 Visionary Films & Filmmakers and Zen & the Art of Independent Filmmaking: A Cautionary Tale.

Worth says that the books were inspired by “these were films and filmmakers that influenced me when I was growing up… thinking outside the box and doing things that were far outside the norm at the times they were working,” citing Citizen Kane, Intolerance, and Battleship Potemkin as touchstones that he would like to talk about to “the younger filmmakers.”

Cinema Royale lists their favorite movies of the year so far. The first they discuss is Veronica Mars, saying that it “was really clever and really smart… had a really good ensemble class, a mixture of the youthful and the noir.” They also note how it successfully stood apart from the TV show.

Also listed is The Signal, calling it “a film that kind of stays with you… it gave me some deja vu of District 9.”

Move Geeks United talks about Michael Bay’s new Transformers: Age of Extinction. As the critics say, “never is the divide between critics and audiences more apparent than when a Transformers movie comes out. This is definitely the worst-reviewed movie of the year and also the highest-grossing.”

They admit that Bay “knows how to assemble striking images” but criticize him for being “a salesman” who sacrifices emotion and humanity in favor of advertisement and product placement. There are also some more direct indictments: “How do you have all that [budget] at your disposal,” they ask, “and make something this boring?”

Eddie Huang talks to emcee Jin, who made his name on BET’s 106 & Park participating in Freestyle Fridays, wherein he won seven consecutive freestyle rap battles. Huang was a fan of the show in college.

Jin, although he’s been divorced from freestyle battling for a while, saying that he’s “still in tune in terms of following the sport.” He talks about 106 & Park and how important it was to battling, saying that, when he was active, “it was a completely different culture… everyone who was into that culture was like, yo, we gotta watch that.”

FilmGordon Radio talks to Ice Cube, known for his work in pioneering hip-hop group N.W.A. and solo acting and rapping careers. Ice Cube appears in the new comedy 22 Jump Street. He says that their goal was “to try to make a whole new movie that stands on its own… the mistake that some people make with sequels is to rely too much on the first movie… you don’t want that.” Of his character, a parodical police chief figure, Cube says that “he’s so cliche… over the top, what you’re used to seeing kind of taken to ten”.